1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to softeners which may be used for the treatment of fabrics after washing.
"Fabric softeners" are normally understood to be preparations containing one or more active ingredients which may be, or are, blended in water and which are used in the detergent field to provide fabrics with a soft feel. Preparations such as these normally contain one or more cationic surfactants which are capable of making fabrics treated with them soft and fluffy. The cationic surfactants proposed include, in particular, water-insoluble quaternary ammonium compounds in which the ammonium nitrogen atom, to ensure that the softener develops adequate softening effects, must contain at least two long-chain aliphatic radicals containing from 16 to 18 carbon atoms or at least one overlong radical, for example containing from 32 to 36 carbon atoms, the long or over-long radicals optionally being interrupted by ether, ester or amido groups. Quaternary ammonium compounds such as these have been produced in large quantities, generally by expensive methods, specifically for the production of fabric softeners.
2. Discussion of Related Art
According to German Pat. No. 2,943,606, long-chain alkyl or alkenyl monocarboxylic acids are used in addition to water-insoluble cationic surfactants of the type herein in fabric softeners in order to considerably improve the softening effect of fabric softeners. However, a disadvantage of these known preparations lies in the complicated synthesis of the water-insoluble quaternary ammonium compounds mentioned.
An object of the present invention is to obviate the disadvantages of the prior art, more especially the use of softener constituents prepared by complicated syntheses, and to provide fabric softeners whose active ingredients may be produced by simple chemical syntheses from inexpensive raw materials or from intermediate products which can be synthesized on a large scale. It has surprisingly been found in this regard that fabric softeners having a good softening effect can be obtained by simple mixing of certain sulfonic acids and/or phosphonic acids and fatty amines or corresponding quaternary compounds of the fatty amines which may be inexpensively obtained on a large scale from natural raw materials by simple oleochemical syntheses.